All-format India skipper Rohit Sharma added another feather to his already illustrious hat as he became the first captain in cricketing history to win 13 consecutive T20Is. Rohit achieved this feat during the first T20I match of the three-match series against England, when a Hardik Pandya-inspired side outwitted the hosts by 50 runs at Southampton.
Rohit, who missed India’s fifth Test against England with Covid-19, notched up just 24 in the T20 series opener. But it was Hardik’s blistering fifty that took India’s total to 198/8 in the first innings. Suryakumar Yadav and Deepak Hooda also scored 39 and 33 runs, respectively.
Pandya then ran through the English batting order to return 4-33 from his four overs. The hosts could only manage 148 in their faltering run-chase.
India can clinch the series at Edgbaston on Saturday before the finale at Trent Bridge on Sunday. As the action shifts to Birmingham, Rohit has a chance to record another milestone. He needs two more fours to become only the second batter in world cricket to hit 300 fours in T20Is. Only Paul Stirling of Ireland has achieved the feat so far.
Incidentally, former captain Virat Kohli is chasing the same batting record. At present, he is tied with Rohit on 298 fours in T20Is. Kohli did not play the series opener but returns to the T20 set-up after a five-month hiatus. He had missed the previous home T20 series against South Africa.
Rohit, who elected to bat first in Southampton, was rewarded for his decision as India exacted revenge for their Test defeat to England earlier this last week. “It was a great performance from ball one. The batters showed an intent,” Rohit said after the game.
“Hardik prepared himself wonderfully from the IPL. His bowling is something he wanted to do more of. He came in, bowled quick, and got rewards for his variation. The opening bowlers swung the ball well which stopped England’s batters in the powerplay. We took it into consideration with the toss.”
Rohit, who made a brisk start before being dismissed on 24 off 14, hit five fours during his brief stay and went past Kohli for a huge feat. Rohit surpassed Kohli as he reached the 1000-run mark in his 29th innings as India captain, scripting a new India record.
Until October 2021, Kohli held the record for the fastest captain in the history of T20Is to reach 1000 runs. It was broken by Pakistan’s Babar Azam; while Kohli had reached the feat in 30 innings, Babar crossed the four-figure mark in merely 24.